Domaine Zind Humbrecht
Tasted Tuesday, March 14, 2017 by PanosKakaviatos with 363 views
Before tasting the 2015s, recently bottled for the market, a line from Shakespeare’s King Richard III came to mind, when he remarked to his accomplice the Duke of Buckingham: “Now I do play the touch to see if thou be current gold indeed.”
Certainly the context is very different, but 2015 proves that Zind-Humbrecht is a great wine producer in Alsace, with precise expressions, especially of Riesling and Gewurztraminer, whether the vintage is on the cooler side (2013, 2014) or on the warmer side (2015).
For those who may not know: Since 2001, Zind-Humbrecht wines indicate sweetness levels, so that his wines do not surprise consumers. In fine print below the alcohol level, the code (known as an indice) ranges from 1 (dry) to 5 (rich and sweet).
As a lover of dryness and precision in my Alsatian wines, I very much appreciate Zind-Humbrecht’s added dimension of opulence and nuance, a dimension that rarely goes into the realm of over-richness, as you can see in my tasting notes.
2015 Zind-Humbrecht? Current gold indeed.
You can read my full text with pictures and video, here: http://wine-chronicles.com/blog/current-gold-indeed-zind-humbrecht-2015/
2015 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Turckheim 90 Points
France, Alsace
Lovely dry expression of Gewurztraminer. The older vines (average age just below 50 years) lends much substance to the palate, a vinous aspect, that complements subtle spice and exotic fruit flourishes that are never too much. For some palates accustomed to sweeter Gewurztraminer, could be a learning curve wine, but I really enjoyed this.
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2015 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Herrenweg de Turckheim 88 Points
France, Alsace
Somewhat hard to taste after the Gewurztraminer (would have been better to have tried in reverse order) and seemed a bit closed by comparison, not very expressive. But there is vinosity and elegance overall.
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2015 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Terroir d'Alsace 91 Points
France, Alsace
I love the precision of this wine, and its vivid expression of fruit, quite a bit of citrus and touches of orange rind. It has just over 13% alcohol and 5 grams of residual sugar, all well balanced, and made from the younger vines in the Brand vineyard (so about 32 years old). Quite a bargain at 17 euros a bottle from the domain!
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2015 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand 95 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
A contained power, subtle expressions of fruit and wet stone with such depth and length. Tasted again towards the end of my visit and just one word popped in my head: "gorgeous". Indeed, the 65 year old vines lend such depth of flavor, with an excellent balance of 13.5% alcohol and just under 7 grams of residual sugar. Not quite the driest on Zind Humbrecht's register (Indice 2), but seems to be a tour de force in the making, and highly recommended. 100 euros ex-domain.
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